Motown Music - The Sound that Changed America - Motown Museum Home of Hitsville U.S.A. Motown THE SOUND THAT CHANGED AMERICA As an irresistible force of social and cultural change, Berry Gordy’s legendary Motown made its mark not just on the music industry, but society at large, with a sound that has become one of the most significant musical accomplishments and stunning success stories of the 20th century. Diana Ross & the Supremes, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson & the Jackson 5, the Marvelettes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Lionel Richie & the Commodores, Teena Marie, their music communicated and brought together a racially divided country and segregated society, around the world, touching all people of all ages and races. No other record company in history has exerted such an enormous influence on both the style and substance of popular music and culture. With more than 180 No. 1 hit songs worldwide and counting, that influence is still being felt today, from pop to hip-hop.

Motown recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding. Motown, of course, stands for more than just the historic music. The label and its remarkable legacy is a reflection of the hard work of dedicated individuals overcoming incredible obstacles to achieve great success. Over a half-century ago, on January 12, 1959, to be exact, a young African-American songwriter named Berry Gordy founded his company with a loan of $800 from his family, marking the birth of the “Motown Records Corporation.” Because Detroit had long been known as the “Motor City,” Gordy, in tribute to what he felt was the down-home quality of the warm, soulful people he grew up around, used “town” in place of “city,” which gave him the contraction “Motor Town” and the perfect name for his company and new label—Motown. A man of vision, drive, talent and determination, Berry Gordy was also a producer, innovative entrepreneur, and teacher. The phenomenal success of Motown Records is a tribute to all that he embodies and all the talent that he brought out in others.

Under his leadership, and through determination and support of the Motown family of artists, Gordy forged new grounds for minorities and made the “Motown Sound” a worldwide phenomenon beloved by millions to this day. Berry Gordy believed in turning negatives into positives. He always learned from all his experiences and applied them to his business. The tedious time he spent working on the assembly line at Detroit’s Lincoln-Mercury automobile plant he put to good use: “Every day I watched how a bare metal frame, rolling down the line would come off the other end, a spanking brand new car. What a great idea! Maybe, I could do the same thing with my music. Create a place where a kid off the street could walk in one door, an unknown, go through a process, and come out another door, a star.” That little thought that came to him while running up and down that assembly line became a reality we now know as “Motown.” From his experience at Lincoln-Mercury, he also set up a system at Motown called Quality Control, in order to ensure only top product would be released. Meetings were held on Friday mornings where producers would submit their product to be voted on. All were free to express their honest opinions.

Gordy said these meetings were one of the key elements of the company’s overall growth and success. The competition was fierce––and so was the love. It was survival of the fittest. The artists flourished in that process, as well as the songwriter/producers like Holland-Dozier-Holland, Norman Whitfield, Ashford and Simpson and Smokey Robinson. They were all as distinctive as the artists they produced. When Motown was housed in its famed Hitsville U.S.A. offices at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, it was not just a location; history would be made there. In fact, Berry Gordy created a 24-hour hit-making and artist development factory, nurturing the artistic talent of the singers, writers, producers, as well as corporate executives. Today, Motown is not only the greatest pop music hit factory ever heard, but an institution, a state of mind, a way of life, a style, the “Sound of Young America.” The distinctive, upbeat and uplifting music brought together pop and soul, white and black, old and young, like never before and continues to this day.

Regardless of race or social background, teenage girls admired Diana Ross and teenage boys pretended to be Smokey Robinson. Motown became the heartbeat of American pop music. With multi-platinum artists ranging from the Miracles, Temptations, Four Tops and Supremes to Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Jackson 5, the House That Gordy Built had and has no rival. Motown defined the term “crossover” not only on record and stage, but also behind the scenes. After breaking down barriers and having pop radio embrace Motown artists, Berry Gordy set his sights on television, movies. He booked his artists on popular shows such as American Bandstand and The Ed Sullivan Show. After captivating national audiences with repeat performances on these shows, The Supremes were the first R&B act to play the country’s most prestigious night club, New York’s Copacabana, which paved the way for other R&B acts into the top cabaret circuits around the world. Motown was the first African-American-owned record label to reach widespread national acclaim. Motown broke down racial prejudice by becoming the most successful independent record company in history and the most successful African-American-owned business in America.

After Gordy purchased that first Detroit property, he converted the garage into a small recording studio and the kitchen into the control room. The company’s first signing was the Miracles, led by Smokey Robinson, and its first release was Marv Johnson’s “Come to Me,” January 21, 1959. But its first major hit was Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want),” a song co-written by Gordy himself, which reached #2 on Billboard’s R&B chart in 1960. A year later, the Miracles would score the company’s first million seller with “Shop Around.” That same year, teen girl group the Marvelettes landed the company’s first pop No. 1, “Please Mr. Postman,” while the label signed two young groups, the Supremes and the Temptations. Within three years, those two groups would lead Motown into the mainstream, when the Supremes launched an unprecedented string of five consecutive No.

1 hits, starting with “Where Did Our Love Go,” while the Temptations released the eternal Motown classic, “My Girl.” In 1968 the company had five records out of the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and accomplished another unprecedented feat by seizing the top three spots for a full month. In the late 80’s and 90’s all of Motown’s major artists were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Upon his own induction in 1988, Motown’s founder was given the following tribute: “Gordy endeavored to reach across the racial divide with music that could touch all people, regardless of the color of their skin.

“Under his tutelage, Motown became a model of black capitalism, pride and self-expression and a repository for some of the greatest talent ever assembled at one company… Motown’s stable of singers, songwriters, producers and musicians took the concept of simple, catchy pop songs to a whole new level of sophistication and, thanks to the music’s roots in gospel and blues, visceral intensity… After Motown, Black popular music would never again be dismissed as a minority taste… Aesthetically no less than commercially, Motown’s achievements will likely remain unrivaled and unstoppable.” Today, the label is part of the Universal Music Group, with its classic recorded music catalog managed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). The timeless songs from Motown between 1959 and 1985 are represented by EMI Music Publishing. History - Classic Motown History Store Berry Gordy Receives $800 Loan Berry Gordy Jr.

launches Tamla Records with an $800 loan from the Gordy family savings fund, and releases Marv Johnson’s “Come To Me.” Read more Birth Of The Motortown Revue The “Gordy Star Attractions Show” makes its debut, featuring the Miracles, Marv Johnson and Mable John, among others. Read more Home Of The Hits On West Grand Blvd. Berry Gordy buys a two-story house at 2648 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, and puts up a sign to signal his intentions: Hitsville U.S.A. Read more 'Bad Girl' Makes Good With Chess The Miracles’ “Bad Girl,” written by Berry Gordy and William “Smokey” Robinson, is released under license to Chess Records. Read more Money (That's What I Want) First released on Tamla Records, Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” is a hit when nationally distributed by Anna Records. Read more Mary Wells' Debut Single "Bye Bye Baby" is the debut Motown single by 17-year-old Mary Wells, who wrote the song herself.

Read more Marvin Gaye signs to Motown After singing with the Moonglows, Marvin Gaye moves to Detroit and, through group leader Harvey Fuqua’s contacts, joins Motown. Read more The Miracles' First National Hit The Miracles’ first national hit, “Shop Around” is released, after Berry Gordy summons the Miracles to the studio at 3 a.m. to re-record the song. Read more The Supremes Sign To Motown The Supremes sign to Motown, with their first 45 on the Tamla label, “I Want A Guy,” released in March. Read more Motown Sign Little Stevie Wonder Berry Gordy signs Little Stevie Wonder after an impressive audition at Hitsville by the 11-year-old, playing several instruments. Read more The Temptations' Debut Single “Oh Mother Of Mine,” the Temptations’ debut for Motown Records, is issued on the company’s Miracle label. Read more Motown's First No. 1 Motown ends the year with its first No. 1 on the pop charts: “Please Mr. Postman” by the Marvelettes.

Read more First Holland/Dozier/ Holland Teamwork Motown issues “Dearest One” by Lamont Dozier, his first song written with Eddie and Brian Holland. Read more First Top 20 Single For Gordy Label The Gordy label gains its first Top 20 success with “Do You Love Me” by the Contours. Read more The Motortown Revue Begins The first “Motortown Revue” package tour of more than two dozen cities begins in Washington, DC. Read more Marvin Gaye Enters The Charts Marvin Gaye has his first Top 50 pop hit with “Stubborn Kind Of Fellow.” Read more Holland/Dozier/ Holland Chart Success The Marvelettes’ “Locking Up My Heart” is released to become an early chart success for the Holland/Dozier/Holland team. Read more The Four Tops Sign To Motown The Four Tops sign to Motown, and begin recording in Studio A at Hitsville. Read more The 12 Year Old Genius Little Stevie Wonder’s The 12 Year Old Genius Recorded Live is Motown’s first No. 1 album, as “Fingertips – Pt. 2” tops the Hot 100.

Read more Motown Signs U.K. License Deal Motown kicks off its new U.K. license deal with EMI Records with the release of Martha & the Vandellas’ “Heat Wave”. Read more Motown launches Soul label Motown launches its Soul label with Shorty Long’s “Devil With The Blue Dress” whilst Jimmy Ruffin and Jr. Walker & The All Stars join the roster. Read more My Guy Tops The Beatles “My Guy” by Mary Wells becomes Motown’s fourth No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the company's first major U.K. hit. Read more The Supremes' Chart Success The Supremes begin their run of five consecutive No. 1 hits with “Where Did Our Love Go”. Read more Smokey Pens My Girl The Temptations get together with Smokey Robinson at Hitsville’s Studio A to record a new song, “My Girl.” Read more Tamla Motown U.K. Tour The Tamla Motown label is launched in the U.K., while Martha & the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, the Miracles and the Supremes begin touring England, Scotland and Wales. Read more Motown's 10th No.

1 The Four Tops achieve Motown Records’ tenth No. 1 with “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch).” Read more The Supremes' debut at Copacabana The Supremes make their triumphant debut at New York’s Copacabana nightclub. Read more Brenda opens for the Beatles Brenda Holloway opens for the Beatles at the group’s historic concert at Shea Stadium, New York. Read more Temptin' Temptations hits the charts Temptin’ Temptations is the first of the group’s two Top 20 albums this year; the second is Gettin’ Ready. Read more Marvin Gaye At The Copa The latest Motown star to play New York’s Copacabana is Marvin Gaye. Read more The Four Tops Hit No.1 The Four Tops’ “Reach Out I’ll Be There” is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Read more The Temptations Enter the Top 10, Again Motown takes its thirteenth Top 10 pop hit of the year with the Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You.” Read more Stevie's Back On Track Motown releases Stevie Wonder’s “I Was Made To Love Her” to become his biggest hit since “Fingertips – Pt. 2.” Read more Presenting Diana Ross & The Supremes “Reflections” is the first release to feature new billing for Motown’s prime attraction: Diana Ross & the Supremes. Read more Motown's Chart Triumph Motown takes ten of Billboard’s top 100 best-selling albums, including Diana Ross & the Supremes’ Greatest Hits at No. 1. Read more I Heard It Through The Grapevine Gladys Knight & the Pips’ “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” is No. 1 on the R&B best-sellers and No. 2 on the pop charts. Read more First Motown No.1 Album in the U.K. The Four Tops’ Greatest Hits takes the top slot in the U.K. from the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Read more Motown HQ Moves Motown Record Corp. officially opens its new Detroit headquarters in downtown’s Woodward Avenue, moved from West Grand Boulevard. Read more The Jackson 5 Audition, Dennis Edwards Joins The Temps The Jackson 5 audition for Motown, and the Temptations gain a new lead singer. Read more Motown Take Half the Top 10 Motown takes half the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, including the Top 3 with Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross & the Supremes. Read more Marvin Sits On The Top Spot America’s No. 1 single this entire month is “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye. Read more Motown earns its first Grammy® award with the Temptations’ “Cloud Nine.” Read more The Jackson 5 Are Unveiled Motown throws a launch party in Los Angeles for the Jackson 5, and unveils its new rock label, Rare Earth, in Detroit. Read more Diana To Leave The Supremes Billboard reports Motown’s announcement that Diana Ross will leave the Supremes for a solo career, with Jean Terrell to join the “new” Supremes.

Read more Diana Ross & the Supremes play their final show together at the Frontier Hotel, Las Vegas. Read more The Jackson 5 Are On A Roll With “I Want You Back,” the Jackson 5 score the first of four consecutive No. 1 hits this year. Read more Tamla Motown Invades the U.K. Charts Tamla-Motown takes a quarter of the U.K. Top 20 with hits by Edwin Starr, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Diana Ross and Jimmy Ruffin. Read more Motown's Seventh No.1 Of The Year Motown triumphs with its seventh No.1 of the year on the Billboard Hot 100 with Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “The Tears Of A Clown.” Read more Motown Wins Its 2nd Grammy® Motown wins its second-ever Grammy® award, for Dr. Martin Luther King’s album, Why I Oppose The War In Vietnam. Read more What's Going On One of Motown’s greatest music milestones, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On album, is released.

Read more MoWest Scores A Chart Hit Motown's new L.A.-based label, MoWest, has its first chart entry with Tom Clay's "What The World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin and John". Read more The Jackson 5 Become TV Stars Motown’s latest TV stars are the Jackson 5, front and center in their own special, Goin’ Back To Indiana, and a cartoon series, The Jackson 5ive. Read more The Commodores' Debut The Commodores’ debut Motown single, “The Zoo (The Human Zoo),” is released on the MoWest label. Read more Marvin Performs What's Going On Marvin Gaye performs What’s Going On in its entirety at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Read more Stevie Opens for The Rolling Stones Stevie Wonder kicks off a 50-date itinerary opening for the Rolling Stones, and the Jackson 5 begin a nationwide summer tour in New York. Read more Smokey's Final Performance With The Miracles Smokey Robinson & the Miracles play their final concerts together in Washington, D.C. Read more The Temptations Take 3 Grammy® Awards Motown’s 30th No.

1 hit, “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” by the Temptations, takes three Grammy® awards. Read more Diana's First Solo No.1 Album Diana Ross scores her first solo No. 1 album with the soundtrack from Lady Sings The Blues, in which she plays the late jazz singer, Billie Holiday. Read more Stevie Wonder Releases Innervisions Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions album is released, three days before the musician is involved in a traumatic auto accident in North Carolina. Read more Marvin's First No. 1 in 4 Years “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye is his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.” Read more Stevie Wonder Wins 5 Grammys® Stevie Wonder is honoured with five Grammy® awards, including Album of the Year for Innervisions, and two for “Superstition.” Read more 'Diana Ross Month' Motown declares this to be “Diana Ross Month,” with her new album, Live At Caesar’s Palace, at its centerpiece. Read more Jimmy Ruffin Returns To U.K.

Top 10 Jimmy Ruffin’s 1966 smash, “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted,” is a U.K. Top 10 hit for the second time. Read more Fulfillingness' First Finale Hits No.1 Motown is No. 1 on the album charts once more, with Stevie Wonder’s Fulfillingness’ First Finale. Read more Stevie Cleans Up At The Grammys® Stevie Wonder makes a second consecutive sweep of the Grammy® awards, this time with Fulfillingness’ First Finale. Read more A Quiet Storm Smokey Robinson’s third solo album, A Quiet Storm, is released, later to inspire an entire music radio format. Read more The Commodores Enter The Top 20 “Slippery When Wet” becomes the Commodores’ first Top 20 success on the Billboard Hot 100 as the group’s popularity grows. Read more Mahogany Opens In New York Diana Ross’ second feature film, Mahogany, directed by Berry Gordy, opens in New York. Read more Motown Embraces Disco Disco rules. Among the winners are the Miracles ("Love Machine") and Diana Ross ("Love Hangover"), both with No.

1 hits. Read more The Supremes' Final Top 40 Hit The Supremes enjoy their final Top 40 hit on the pop charts with “I’m Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking.” Read more Marvin Sells Out Royal Albert Hall Marvin Gaye performs his first-ever concerts in the U.K., selling out London’s Royal Albert Hall and adding a show at the London Palladium. Read more Stevie's Songs In The Key Of Life Tops The Charts Stevie Wonder’s Songs in The Key of Life begins a 14-week run at the top of the Billboard album charts. Read more Stevie's Fifth No.1 Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” becomes his fifth No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Motown’s 40th. Read more Thelma Houston Sets A Motown First “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by Thelma Houston is the first Motown single to reach No. 1 on the pop, R&B and dance charts. Read more Marvin's Live At The London Palladium Climbs The Charts Marvin’s Live At The London Palladium climbs into the Top 3 of the album charts as “Got To Give It Up” heads for No. 1.

Read more The Supremes Perform Their Last Concert The Supremes – Mary Wilson, Susaye Greene, Scherrie Payne – perform their last concert together, at London’s Theatre Royal. Read more Rick James' Breakthrough Rick James’ first Motown album, Come Get It, is released, featuring his breakthrough hit, “You And I.” Read more The Commodores' First No.1 “Three Times A Lady,” written by Lionel Richie, is the first No. 1 on the pop charts for the Commodores. Read more Motown Premieres The Wiz Motown Productions premieres its newest movie, The Wiz, starring Diana Ross and co-starring Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor. Read more Marvin Releases Here, My Dear Here, My Dear, Marvin Gaye’s emotional farewell to his first wife, Anna, is released.

Read more Pops We Love You Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson hit the charts with their four-way tribute to Berry Gordy’s late father, “Pops We Love You.” Read more Rick James Lends A Hand Teena Marie is Motown’s newest hitmaker as “I’m Just A Sucker For Your Love,” written and produced by Rick James, debuts on the R&B charts. Read more Bonnie Pointer Brings Back A Classic A Motown hit from the 1960s returns to the limelight as Bonnie Pointer’s update of “Heaven Must Have Sent You” reaches the Top 20. Read more Stevie Performs His First Movie Soundtrack Stevie Wonder performs music from his first movie soundtrack, Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants, at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House. Read more Motown's Newest Success: Billy Preston & Syreeta Motown’s newest international success is “With You I’m Born Again” by Billy Preston & Syreeta, a Top 3 hit in the UK.

Read more The Temptations Are Chartbound Once More Re-signed to Motown, the Temptations are chartbound once more with “Power,” co-written and co-produced by Berry Gordy. Read more Jermaine Jackson Gets Serious Jermaine Jackson has a new Top 10 hit with “Let’s Get Serious,” written and produced by Stevie Wonder. Read more A Tribute To Bob Marley A tribute to reggae godfather Bob Marley, “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” becomes Stevie Wonder’s 22nd Top 10 smash. Read more Marvin Releases His Final Album For Motown Marvin Gaye’s final album for Motown, In Our Lifetime, is released. Read more Motown Celebrates Smokey's Success Motown kicks off a year-long celebration of Smokey Robinson’s 25th anniversary in showbiz, following his biggest-ever solo hit, “Being With You.” Read more Rick James Storms The Charts Street Songs by Rick James hits the Top 5 of the album charts, going on to sell more than three million copies. Read more Diana & Lionel Love, Endlessly Diana Ross & Lionel Richie’s “Endless Love” begins its nine-week run at No.

1 to become one of Motown’s all-time top-selling singles. Read more Stevie Prepares His Original Musiquarium I Motown announces that Stevie Wonder has re-signed with the company, and prepares the release of his Original Musiquarium I set. Read more Gordy Co-Produces A Hit For Charlene Charlene’s “I’ve Never Been To Me,” co-produced by Berry Gordy, is a Top 3 success, almost five years after its first release. Read more The New Hitmakers: The Dazz Band The Dazz Band are Motown’s newest hitmakers as “Let It Whip” becomes a Top 5 smash on the pop charts. Read more Lionel Pens His First Solo Hit The first single from Lionel Richie’s latest album, “Truly” is his first No. 1 as a solo singer/songwriter. Read more Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever An NBC-TV special, Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, celebrates the artists and music of the company’s extraordinary quarter-century.

Read more A Brief History of Motown - TIME Follow @TIME Above the front windows of Motown Records' Detroit headquarters was a sign that read "Hitsville U.S.A." Placed there by Motown founder Berry Gordy soon after his company moved into the modest home at 2648 W. Grand Blvd, the sign demonstrated Gordy's blazing  and at the time, unearned  arrogance. Then the slogan came true. Founded on Jan. 12, 1959, Motown quickly became another Detroit factory; where the Big Three produced automobiles, Motown assembled the soul and pop classics that changed America. There's no hyperbole in that statement. Arriving at the height of the civil rights movement, Motown was a black-owned, black-centered business that gave white America something they just could not get enough of  joyous, sad, romantic, mad, groovin', movin' music. ( See an audio slideshow of five of Motown's best tunes .) A former boxer and automobile worker, Berry Gordy was a nascent songwriter when, at the urging of Smokey Robinson, a songwriter ten years younger than Gordy, he decided to establish Motown Records.

The two had become friends years earlier and Robinson, who was the lead singer of a band called The Miracles, produced, wrote, and sang several of Motown's most memorable hits  including the labels' first smash song, "Shop Around" in 1960. A year later, "Please Mr. Postman," by The Marvelettes, was the label's first No. 1 song. It would not be the last. Over the next decade, the sheer number of chart-topping artists, musicians, and groups produced by Motown defied comprehension: Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye. All became part of what would come to be known as the Motown Sound. It is rumored that Gordy modeled his hit factory after the Detroit car assembly line that he knew so well: Make a good product, then make something similar, and make it quick.

Over here were the songwriters  Robinson and the team of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland (Holland-Dozier, Holland, or H-D-H). Over there was the talent  Stevie Wonder, whom the label discovered when he was 11; Marvin Gaye, who wanted so much to be a jazz crooner before he came into his own in the late 60's; and, above all, Diana Ross, whom the label put its stake in early on, and who was told so many times that she was a star that she drove off one of the Supremes before quitting to launch a solo career. In a neglected corner were the session musicians the Funk Brothers, who played on God knows how many hit songs. Let's just say a lot. So what was the Motown Sound? Great melodies, lots of tambourines and hand clapping, blaring horns, interplay between the lead singer and his or her backup vocalists, driving bass lines and foot-slapping drum parts. In his still essential Motown history Where Did Our Love Go?

Nelson George writes, "Motown chief engineer Mike McClain built a miniscule, tinny-sounding radio designed to approximate the sound of a car radio. The high-end bias of Motown's recordings can be partially traced to the company's reliance on this piece of equipment." They knew people would be listening on their car stereos and on their transistor sets and they were going to do what it took to make their songs sound good and memorable. Even if you couldn't put your finger on it, when a Motown song came on, you knew it. Throughout the Sixties, Motown produced a catalog of songs that cannot be rivaled. "You've Really Got a Hold On Me," "Heat Wave," "Dancing in the Street," "Tracks of My Tears," "Where Did Our Love Go," "My Guy," "My Girl," "Baby Love," "Reach Out, I'll Be There," "I Can't Help Myself," "Get Ready," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "The Way You Do the Things You Do," and so on. They were simple love songs that told simple stories, often in joyously happy or heartbreakingly sad ways.

And all the while Motown was the pride of Detroit and the pride of black America (though Gordy tried, with his usual bluster, to make it the "Sound of Young America," a label he began to stamp on all of the company's vinyl). Around the time of the '67 Detroit riots, however, things changed, as they eventually had to. Gordy looked west, towards Los Angeles (how could such a large entertainment company as his not be involved in movies and television?). Dissatisfied with the increasing disconnect between the success of their work and the level of their pay, Holland-Dozier-Holland broke off from Motown. And while the Jackson 5 was on the rise, most of the rock-steady Motown acts of the early '60s were on the wane. In 1971, though, the label released what is arguably its grandest artistic statement, something not at all of a piece with its previous, poppy output. Marvin Gaye put out What's Going On, a thoughtful, socially conscious album whose title track Gordy famously called the worst song he had ever heard. A year later, Motown deserted Detroit for L.A.

and Stevie Wonder turned 21, thereby taking creative control of his music. Within four years he had released Talking Book, Innervisions, and Songs in the Key of Life. It was arguably the last great burst of Motown creativity. Gordy, distracted by Hollywood, released two films starring Diana Ross  Mahogany and the Billie Holiday biopic Lady Sings the Blues. The 80s brought Rick James and Lionel Richie and The Big Chill  a white, yuppie film with an amazing Motown soundtrack ("Aint Too Proud To Beg" was reduced to dishwashing music). By 1988, Gordy had had enough; he sold the company to MCA, which in turn sold it to Polygram, which in turn was bought by Universal. Really, though, who cares who owns it now? Just pop on one of those numerous greatest hits albums in your collection (or, ok, fine, The Big Chill soundtrack) and recall the glory of Motown. The music doesn't sound fifty years old at all. Berry Gordy Jr. and the Original "Black Label" | Foundation for Economic Education Berry Gordy Jr.

and the Original "Black Label" schweikart0503 Larry Schweikart teaches history at the University of Dayton. Asked to identify prominent people in the music industry, most Americans will name musicians. A few may mention Phil Spector, Herb Alpert, Burt Bachrach, or Quincy Jones–producers, writers, and arrangers, not (essentially) performers. A true “music geek” may even name behind-the-scenes music gurus such as Clive Davis (founder of Arista Records) or Ahmet Ertegun (founder of Atlantic Records). Yet few musicians, songwriters, or performers have had as much impact on the American music industry as Berry Gordy Jr., founder of the original “black label,” Motown Records. 1 His is an illustrative chapter in story of American entrepreneurship. Gordy loved the music business and dreamt of writing and producing. A former Golden Gloves boxer, he was drafted during the Korean War, and when he returned to his native Detroit, he started Gordy’s 3-D Record Mart to sell jazz records. But the store floundered: his customers wanted soul and blues.

In 1955, after only two years, Gordy folded the business and took a job at Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln division. But he had not given up his dream. He got his break when a concession business run by his family at the Flame Show Bar introduced him to several top entertainers. The Flame Show featured the top black acts in Detroit, including Billie Holiday and T-Bone Walker, and the club owner managed a young singer named Jackie Wilson. Gordy was invited to write some songs for Wilson, and he collaborated with Roquel “Billy” Davis to pen the hit “Lonely Teardrops.” Gordy soon met Raynoma Liles, who auditioned for backup singer in some of the acts Gordy had begun to produce. Raynoma (whom Gordy married) could write music, and this talent fit perfectly with Gordy’s own freelancing songwriting style. In 1957 he produced “Reet Petite,” also sung by Wilson, bringing still more ambitious acts to Gordy’s doorstep.

When a group called the “Matadors” was turned down by Wilson’s manager, Gordy took it under his wing, changing its name to the “Miracles” and spotlighting its lead singer, William “Smokey” Robinson. Gordy was now wearing three hats, as manager, writer, and producer for the Miracles. He produced their minor hit “Got a Job” (an answer to the Silhouettes’ “Get a Job”) and the success of the Miracles, along with the songs Gordy wrote for Jackie Wilson, convinced him that he could make the leap to the next level: owning his own record label. In 1959, using $500 that his mother lent to him, Gordy formed Tamla Records and a publishing arm, Jobete Publishing. This was a significant move, because as any musician knows, the lion’s share of the royalties goes to the publisher and writer, not the performer. Gordy continued to write hits, including “Money (That’s What I Want),” recorded by Barrett Strong. But finding that his little label could not efficiently distribute the records around the country, he signed a national production and distribution deal with United Artists.

In 1960, Gordy converted the Tamla and Hitsville USA record labels into a new company, “Motown,” from Detroit’s “Motor Town” nickname. On the advice of Smokey Robinson, Motown began to distribute its own records that year, bolstered by the success of Robinson and the Miracles’ “Shop Around.” By that time Detroit-based black talent started to beat on Gordy’s door with regularity, and the artists produced by Motown started to gain acceptance in wider markets. Mary Wells, for example, achieved “crossover” into white markets with the classic “My Guy” (1964). Some stars were literally right under Gordy’s nose. His secretary, Martha Reeves, had a group called the “Vandellas,” and she successfully lobbied Gordy to record the group. After proving their mettle by singing backup on a few Motown hits, “Martha and the Vandellas” was allowed to record solo, with results that, by that time, should not have shocked Gordy. Their songs “Heat Wave” and “Dancin’ in the Streets” shot to the top of the charts.

Gordy realized, however, that blacks constituted only about 12 percent of the population in the United States, and even if he sold a record to every black adult, he could not make as much money as if he sold to only one-quarter of the white population. He therefore embarked on a risky and, in retrospect, brilliant strategy to “package” black Detroit acts in such a way that white audiences would buy their records. This was no mean feat. It could have backfired with his large black audiences, giving him a reputation for selling out. On the other hand, he faced a substantial hurdle in getting black artists on mainstream radio. Only a few years earlier, a white singer from Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Presley, had been denied airplay on some radio stations because he “sounded black.” But Gordy realized that cultural differences had to be bridged from both directions. If whites were to embrace the less rigid structure of black rhythm and blues, the music had to be presented in a polished, sophisticated (and non-threatening) way. In short, Gordy’s genius was that he presented black music in the entertainment structure that white audiences were familiar, and comfortable, with.

Breaks New Ground Gordy hired a choreographer, for example, to teach the groups how to move. Motown choreography, which eventually became a caricature of itself, nevertheless in its early years broke new ground in musical presentation. He also realized that his singers, most of whom were from poor inner-city neighborhoods, needed to be able to make a good showing in interviews to better promote their records. He hired elocution instructors and taught the artists proper English and social skills. Gordy dressed his acts in suits, tuxedos, or full dresses. If racists were going to complain that black music would pervert the nation’s youth, they would have a hard time proving it by looking at the Motown stable of groups, whose members were well-dressed, articulate, and polished. This was more than a superficial remake. “We don’t accept an artist easily,” Gordy told a Detroit newspaper. “We look for character and integrity as well as talent, and this produces a big family-type organization.” Gordy demanded of his acts hard work, a straight life, and commitment to “the system,” and in return he recognized that he owed them sound financial advice so they would not squander their money.

Setting up a financial-counseling service, Gordy explained in 1962, “We try to help artists personally with their investment programs so that they don’t wind up broke. We are very much concerned with the artist’s welfare.” 2 Perhaps Gordy’s most impressive barrier-breaking move was not his formatted choreography or his “packaging” of black acts, but his fundamental assault on the construction of black blues itself. Knowing that traditional blues, as played by Muddy Waters, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and B. B. King would be a hard sell to white audiences, Gordy worked with Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland (known as “Holland-Dozier-Holland” on the record labels) to transform the traditional 12-bar blues and 32-bar ballads into new, short strains that featured a repeated “hook,” or catch phrase. The innovation can be heard in the Supremes’ hit “Stop, in the Name of Love” and others.

Gordy’s Motown Records cranked out many hits in the early-to-mid-1960s from the Temptations, the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Four Tops, always keeping the records within a two- to two-and-a-half-minute time frame so that disc jockeys would play them. Like other artists, Holland, Dozier, and Holland flourished in Gordy’s Motown system, and yet they came to resent his control. The songwriters broke off in 1967 to form their own label. While they still produced a few minor hits, they never enjoyed the success they had at Motown—perhaps due in part to changes in musical taste by that time. They were not the first to leave: Gladys Knight and the Pips had left Motown after a huge hit, redoing Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Motown suffered with the loss of artists and songwriters, and it fell into a two-year funk while Gordy struggled to find replacements. He found renewed life with a new band, the Jackson 5, who submitted to Gordy’s “polishing” process in Los Angeles.

After a year of preparation, the Jackson 5 released “I Want You Back,” featuring the powerful and dynamic vocals of the youngest member of the family, Michael Jackson. Gordy realized that Michael had the strongest fan appeal, and during the time that the Jackson 5 continued to turn out the hits, Gordy groomed Michael for a solo career. Gordy was correct in his assessment of Michael Jackson, but as had occurred with other Motown stars and songwriters, his tight grip alienated Michael and the group. In 1976 the Jackson 5 left Motown, renaming themselves the Jacksons, and not long after that, Michael Jackson changed the face of music history with his stunning albums, “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” (which was co-produced with Quincy Jones). Given the Gordy formula, it is unlikely Jackson ever would have created many of his masterpieces had he remained at Motown. But like so many others, including young Steveland Judkins (whom Gordy repackaged as “Little Stevie Wonder”), Michael Jackson owed his start to Gordy’s genius.

Top Black-Owned Business By the early 1970s, when Black Enterprise magazine labeled Motown the top black-owned business in America, Gordy had relocated many of his operations to Los Angeles. As he involved himself less in daily matters, Motown’s hit-making reputation suffered. But with or without Gordy, Motown found that music itself had changed, developing a harder edge with the 1970s rock bands and the advent of the drug culture’s psychedelic and “metal” music. Motown remained locked into a formula for groups, producing the Commodores, but the heyday of its creativity was gone, and further erosions of black dance music occurred when the “disco” scene made several white acts, such as the Bee Gees and K. C. and the Sunshine Band, into dance-music stars. In 1988 Gordy sold Motown to MCA Records. He had literally changed the American music industry, introducing large numbers of suburban whites to “black” music and advancing the careers of many who now are honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as is Gordy himself.

Gordy became a victim of his own success, and like Henry Ford, the revolutionary finally turned into the old guard. But weep not for Berry Gordy Jr. In the process of creating Motown records, he became wealthy, started an empire, and gave America some of its best music moments. For information on Motown, see Dave Edwards and Mike Callahan, “The Motown Story,” online at “Sweet Soul Music,” in Thaddeus Wawro, Radicals and Visionaries: Entrepreneurs Who Revolutionized the 20th Century (Irvine, Calif.: Entrepreneur Press, 2000), pp. 154-57; and Larry Schweikart, The Entrepreneurial Adventure: A History of Business in the United States (Ft. Worth: Harcourt, 2000), pp. 398-99. Ken Barnard, “Berry Gordy Jr.-Detroit’s Record King,” Detroit Free Press, December 26, 1962 .

Question: What is the name of the Motown record company's country label
Answer: Hitsville